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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Sheldon Fire Department Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 030286383
VT · NTEE M24
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Adam Reagan, Executive Director / CEO ($4,230) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 181 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 54th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

181 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 181 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$146 total compensation of comparable organizations → $204,250 $4,230
$51010th
$1,22425th
$3,420Median
$14,91375th
$36,84190th
$4,230This org · 54th
p10$510
p25$1,224
p50$3,420
p75$14,913
p90$36,841
$4,230

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to VT cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Dept Of Hamilton Co IncIN $247,778$49,901 990
Warwick Fire DepartmentNY $244,809$1,796 990
Wantagh Fire DepartmentNY $249,513$8,080 990
Long Bridge Volunteer Fire DeptNC $242,955$2,957 990
Manitowish Waters Fire CompanyWI $242,904$3,113 990
Penn Hills Volunteer FiremensPA $252,258$306 990
Lakota Fire Protection District IncND $241,711$7,315 990
Fuller Hose Company No 1PA $240,021$408 990
United Fire Company No 1NY $239,248$2,693 990
Quinter Ambulance Service IncKS $238,761$32,780 990
Liberty Fire CompanyPA $255,298$866 990
Kittrell Volunteer Fire DepartmentNC $237,641$29,863 990
Western Wayne County FireMI $237,161$10,769 990
Gerry Volunteer Fire Department IncNY $257,078$185 990
Newburg Fire AssociationPA $257,271$16,819 990
Hackensack Area Fire & Rescue DeptMN $257,542$6,762 990
Quinwood Community Vol Fire Dept IncWV $258,300$645 990
Elgin Rural Fire Truck AssnMN $235,476$1,100 990
Windsor Fire Company IncNY $258,763$1,796 990
Bachelors Hall Volunteer FireVA $259,408$1,151 990
Garretson Volunteer Fire DepartmentSD $234,627$1,316 990
Tri Clover Fire CompanyPA $260,691$3,617 990
Valley Stream Fire Dept IncNY $261,037$2,099 990
Williamstown Volunteer Fire Company IncWV $263,052$146 990
Villas Volunteer Fire Company IncNJ $230,226$2,218 990

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to VT cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default54th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)54th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted43rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted54th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Adam Reagan) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 181 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (M24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $4,230 is reasonable (approximately the 54th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.